NATION
WASHINGTON (OSV News) – As the U.S. military carried out another strike on Oct. 16 against what it said was a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, a Notre Dame Law School expert warned that type of action, without authorization from Congress, could set the stage for the government to conduct strikes closer to home with virtually no guardrails. First reported by Reuters, the Oct. 16 strike is believed to be the first out of at least six such strikes that left survivors among the crew. Nearly 30 people have been killed in the strikes. Mary Ellen O’Connell, a professor at Notre Dame Law School who specializes in international law and conflict resolution, expressed concern that Trump “played a critical role in winning a ceasefire in Gaza only to turn around to use lawless military force in the Caribbean.” On Jan. 20, Trump issued an executive order designating certain international cartels and other organizations as “foreign terrorist organizations.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church states legitimate authorities are entrusted with preserving the common good by “rendering the unjust aggressor unable to inflict harm,” but specifies strict conditions for the use of military force including the exhaustion of all other efforts to stop such damage. O’Connell said the strikes have no justification in U.S. or international law, and there is nothing in the president’s executive order that prevents him from using this kind of lethal force in Lake Michigan, a waterway accessible from Canada but fully within U.S. territory.

ANCHORAGE (OSV News) – Catholic dioceses in Alaska are calling for prayer and support, after flooding from a recent typhoon devastated several coastal communities. The remnants of Typhoon Halong struck the state’s western coast over the Oct. 11-12 weekend, killing at least one. Two other individuals remain missing, and hundreds of stranded residents have been airlifted to Anchorage for safety, with many watching their homes float away. According to state officials, some 1,800 Alaska residents from just under 50 communities had been displaced. In an Oct. 14 letter posted to Facebook, Bishop Steven J. Maekawa of Fairbanks asked parishioners to “pray for the people of western Alaska who were affected by the typhoon and storms this past week. For those who lost their lives and for their families and friends. For those whose homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged. For those communities that are without power, heat, and water. For the people working in the rescue and relief efforts.”

VATICAN
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV met with a coalition of survivors of abuse and victims’ advocates for the first time at the Vatican Oct. 20. Members of the board of Ending Clergy Abuse met with the pope for about an hour in a closed-door meeting that was later confirmed by the Vatican. “This was a deeply meaningful conversation,” Gemma Hickey, ECA board president and survivor of clergy abuse in Canada, said in a press release. “It reflects a shared commitment to justice, healing and real change.” “Survivors have long sought a seat at the table, and today we felt heard,” Hickey said in the statement. “Pope Leo is very warm, he listened,” Hickey said at a news conference, according to Reuters. “We told him that we come as bridge-builders, ready to walk together toward truth, justice and healing.” While the group of six people representing ECA met with the pope, video clips from the Vatican also showed a separate meeting between Pope Leo and Pedro Salinas, a Peruvian journalist and abuse survivor. Salinas, a former member of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae who suffered physical and psychological abuse by the movement’s founder, Luis Fernando Figari, is seen in the footage giving the pope a copy of his new book, “The Truth Sets Us Free,” in Spanish.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Sacramental marriage and traditional family life increase joy in the good times, give strength during hard times and are a path to true holiness, Pope Leo XIV said. Marking the 10th anniversary of the canonization of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Pope Leo said the couple “bears witness to the ineffable happiness and profound joy that God grants, both here on earth and for eternity, to those who commit themselves to this path of fidelity and fruitfulness.” The pope’s comments came in a message to Bishop Bruno Feillet of Séez, France, the home diocese of the Martin family. The message was released at the Vatican Oct. 18, the date of the anniversary of the Martins becoming “the first couple to be canonized as such,” the pope said.

WORLD
MEZCALA, Mexico (OSV News) – Another Catholic priest has been murdered in Mexico’s violence-stricken Guerrero state. Father Bertoldo Pantaleón Estrada, pastor of San Cristóbal Parish in Mezcala, was found dead Oct. 6 – two days after disappearing. According to press reports, he was shot twice in the neck, and federal officials have named his driver as the prime suspect. “At this time, we have no indication that the father was involved in anything wrong,” Federal public security secretary Omar García Harfuch said Oct. 7. Father Pantaleón’s death underscores the growing danger for clergy in cartel-controlled regions. Guerrero, once a hub for heroin production, remains plagued by organized crime, extortion, and kidnappings. The Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, where the priest served, has suffered multiple clergy killings in recent years. The Mexican bishops’ conference condemned the violence, calling for a full and transparent investigation. Since 2006, at least 52 priests have been killed in Mexico – making it the deadliest country in the world for Catholic clergy.
LA VALLETTA BRIANZA, Italy (OSV News) – A devastating fire has gutted a 17th-century monastery in northern Italy where newly canonized St. Carlo Acutis once received his first Communion. The blaze broke out on Oct. 11 at Bernaga Monastery in La Valletta Brianza, reducing much of the wooden structure to ruins. Thankfully, all 22 cloistered nuns inside survived, with one sister raising the alarm just in time. Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan expressed deep sorrow, calling the fire a tragic loss of sacred heritage and personal belongings. The monastery had just marked the Jubilee of Consecrated Life and was preparing to celebrate St. Carlo’s first official feast day on Oct. 12. A first-class relic of the young saint – a lock of his hair – was saved from the flames, though a crucifix gifted by St. Paul VI remains missing. Authorities suspect an electrical short circuit may have sparked the fire. Investigations are ongoing as the faithful rally in prayer and support. According to the archdiocese, from a young age, St. Carlo was “fond of the nuns” at the monastery. It was there that he was introduced to Bishop Pasquale Macchi. It was Bishop Macchi, the archdiocese said, that informed St. Carlo’s parents that the 7-year-old future saint was ready for his first Communion.